Accessory system for motor vehicles



y 1941. E c. HORTON 2,243,036

ACCESSORY SYSTEM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 19, 1939 2 Sheefc-Sheet 1 Q MQ ZM ATTO R N EYS May 20, 1941. E. c. HORTON 2,243,036

ACCESSORY SYSTEM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Filed Aug. 19, 1959 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 W I INVENTO Elwin 050mm, aw M ATTY2RTNEYS Patented May 20, 1941 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE r 2,243,036 I I ACCESSOBYVITOIEEMSFOR MOTOR Erwin c. Horton, Hamburg, N. Y., assign'or to Trlco Products florporation, Bufl'alo, N. Y.

Application August 19, 1939, Serial No. .29'1,054=

8 Claims. (01. 60-57) This invention relates to motor vehicle acces-- sory systems and particularly to such systems employing fluid transmission media.

Air pressure differentials, both negative and positive with respect; to atmospheric pressure, are frequently employed for actuation of accessories in connection with automotive vehicles. The widely used suction operated windshield cleaner may be taken as an example of an accessory operable by sub-atmospheric pressure and accessories employing superatmospheric pressure are numerous; horns, fuel pumps and brake boosters may be mentioned as examples.

In my present invention I provide a system whereby a sub-atmospheric pressure accessory and a super-atmospheric pressure accessory are adapted to be arranged in series with an interposed pump for transferring fluid from the former to the latter. I further provide, in such system, automatic control means whereby the sub-atmospheric or suction part of the system and the super-atmospheric or pressure part of the system are maintained independent to the extent that normal operation of neither of them is interfered with by reason of abnormalities or variations in the operation of the other,

Means are further provided, in my novel system, which permit the use of a fluid displacement pump provided with an ample supply of sealing fluid, usually lubricating oil, without likelihood of the sealing fluid being constantly lost or working injury to the system. Other advantages resulting from the employment of my novel accessory system will appear from a perusal of the ensuing specification and the accompanying drawings.

While the accessories may both connect directly with the pump or the pressure control means, I preferably provide a reservoir for one of the accessories whereby a differential pressure may be built up and stored, thereby permitting use of either of the accessories more or less independently of whether the other is in use, or desired to be in use at the same time.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a general side elevational view of the apparatus of my invention shown applied to an automotive vehicle having an engine and a windshield;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the pressure control element of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a conventional cross sectional view taken approximately on the line III-III of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

In the drawings like characters 'of reference I denote like parts throughout the several figures and the numeral l0 designates generally the internal combustion propelling engine of an automotive vehicle which also has a windshield ll.

Adjacent the windshield there is provided a windshield cleaning mechanism comprising a reciprocable wiping arm 12 and an actuating motor I3 therefor. The actuating motor, in the present instance, is adapted to beactivated by the application thereto of sub-atmospheric pressure by means of a conduit l4 and is of conventional and well-known construction.

Stated in a general way, the apparatus of the present invention involves the use of an air displacing pump, indicated at It in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the pump is .so arranged that its intake conduit, designated I1, is connected to the windshield cleaner motor while its exhaust conduit, designated l8, communicates with a pressure storage tank and also, if desired, directly with one or more accessories operable by the application of super-atmospheric pressure.

Both the intake and the exhaust conduits, l1 and I8, in their extent to the windshield cleaner motor and the storage tank respectively, connect with a casing 20- which houses means for controlling the degree of pressure in both-the sub-atmospheric and the super-atmospheric sides of the system. The pump itself may con veniently be driven from a moving part of the vehicle engine Ill and'in pumps of the character under consideration it is desirable toprovide a liquid seal for the pumping parts.

The sealing liquid may be ordinary lubricating oil and in this case a small part of the lubricating oil of the engine Ill may be caused to be entrained with the air as it is drawn into the pump. When this is the case the entrained lubricant, or the majorportion of it, will eventually be delivered with the output air flowing a ,is in a foamy condition owing to over a port 26. The port 23 leads to a'conduit 23 which in turn leads to the source of the lubricant supply, as for instance the crank case of the motorvehicle engine, or it may optionally lead to some point where it is directly available for re-use in sealing the pump l6.

[The cup shaped member 26 and the valve 21, are relatively rigidly secured and an axial opening in' the valve 21 receivesa rigidly mounted 3 depending pin 30 for vertically guidedmovement of thecup shaped member and the valve. When separated lubricantin the bottom of the cham-- ber 22 reaches a predetermined level the valve leaves its seat over the port 28 and the separated lubricant flows out through the conduit 23 'until the lubricantin the chamber 22 reaches such level that the valve 21 is reseated by downward movement of the float or cup shaped member 25. l

To prevent the generation of excessive pressure p in the chamber 22 and in the pressure side of the system generally a relief valve is provided and comprises a ball valve 33 which is'normally held in seated position over a port 34 by means of a spring 36. When the pressure in the casing 22 exceeds the, load of the spring '36 rthe valve '33 will obviously unseat and permit the escape of air until the pressure .in the chamber 22 falls to a point within the proper and desired maximum.

Adjacent the chamber 22 the casing 20 has a portion 31 which is formed to receive suitable pressure responsive means for controlling both the degree of suction and the degree. of pressure 3 Y which are effectively generated by the pump l6 and the portion 31 of the casing 20 as well as the chamber 22 are closed by a common cover member 33.

A passage 40 extends through the casing 20 I adjacent the portion 31 and connects at one end with the conduit l4 leading from the windshield cleaner motor I3 and-at its other end with conduit 11 which leads to the intake side of the pump 16. In the normal condition of operation flow of air from the windshield cleaner motor to the pump I6 is directly through the conduit l4, s

55 80 is vented to the atmosphere through the passages 43, 44 and 65, permitting the pump I6 to v the passage 46 and the conduit l1.

When, however, the degree of evacuation in 1 the passage 40 exceeds a predetermined maximum, usually by reason of stoppage of the mo- 1 tor' l3, a valve 42 is caused to become unseated 1 and thereby connect passages 43 and 44, the

former of which leads from the normal suction passage 46. This is brought about by a pressure 1 responsive element which in the preferred embodiment comprises a resilient bellows 45, the

interior of which has communication with the passage 40 by means of a passage 46.

The bellows 45 contracts in response to evacuation of its interior and when suflicient contraction has taken place the valve 42 moves downwardly, as seenin Fig. 3, a distance sufilcient to establish communication between the passages 43 and. The manner in which the connection o1 these two passages cooperates in the combina- Ltionto effect the operation of the system will gpresently appear. I l

eration or idleness of 30 trated) serves to connect the the Normal discharge of air under pressure. from the chamber 22, after the lubricating oil has been separated therefrom, is through a passage 53, reference being had in this connection to Figs.

5 3 and. 4. The passage 63 terminates in a conduit 5| which ultimately conducts the air under pressure to an air operated accessory, as for instance the horn 52, with or without an associated pressure storage tank 54. I In the illustrated form the storage tank is interposed in the conduit 5|, between the'point of discharge from the control means and the accessory and'suitable manual valve or other means are provided for controlling the condition of opthe accessory as at 66 in Fig. 1. To prevent retrograde flow in the conduit 5| a check valve is provided in the passage 60. .see Fig. '4, wherein a ball 58 is held a ainst a valve seat- 59 when there is a preponderance of pressure at the upper side thereof and is 'unseated by a preponderance of pressure from beneath.

A by-passage 6| is formed in the cover member 38 leading from the'passage 50 and establishes constant communication between the passage 56 and a second resilient pressure responsive bellows- 62. The bellows 62 carries a valve 63 having a necked out portion 64 which in the upper position of the valve (opposite to that illuspassage 44, previously referred to, with the atmosphereby way of a passage 65. I

It has previously been stated that tendency to raise the degree of evacuation in the passage 40 beyond predetermined limits results in opening movement of the valve 42 to connect the branch passages 43 and 44. This movement in and of itself has no direct eifect on the operation of the system but the existence of an unusually high degree of evacuation in the low pressure side of the system normally results in a reduction in the output pressure due to the rarefaction of the air on the lower pressure side and to the greater amount of work necessary to be expanded against such reduced pressure.

Therefore an increase in the degree of evacuation in the passage 40 will normally be accompanied bysuch decrease of fluid pressure in the passage 53 and the by-passage 61 as to cause the resilient bellows 62 to contract from its illustrated position in Fig. 3 to an extent sufiicient to move the valve 63 to a position for connecting the branch passage 44. with the atmospheric passage 65. When this takes place the passage operate freely in delivering fluid under pressure to the super-atmospheric side of the system.

This condition will obtain until conditions in either the vacuum or pressure side of the system are such that one of the bellows 45 or 62 expands and closes its associated valve 42 or 63,

i whereupon what may be described as normal or 7 storage tank or at the fluid pressure operated accessory as the case'may be. As a practical matter, however, and under normal conditions, about the only time the output pressure will drop below the prescribed minimum is when the suc- 7 tion accessory i shut oii, during which time there may be insuflici'ent air to supply the pressure actuated accessories.

For facility of manufacture the casing portion 31 which houses the pressure responsive means is formed with an opening which snugly receives a block 88 .whose opposite. ends are formed to receive the bellows l and 62, the various passages 43, 44 and 65 being formed in the intermediate portion of the block 68. The block 68 is held in place in the casing 20 by means oi the cover member 38.

While a single specific-embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed it is apparent that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. In the foregoing description and in the appended phere, a pair of valves in said passage for indeclaims it is to be understood that mention of the pump as being disposed between" the suction accessory and the prasure accessory, and like expressions, are used in their practical sense, that is, as meaning, tacitly, with respect to the direction of fluid fiow, and not necessarily actually physically between the accessories.

I claim:

1. In a motor vehicle accessory system, a suction operated accessory, a fluid pressure operated accessory, and a pump therebetween for transmitting fluid from the former to the latter, an atmospheric vent interposed between said suction operated accessory and said pump, valve means for normally preventing communication of said vent with the atmosphere, and pressure responsive means adapted to open said valve means when the pressure being delivered by said pump to said pressure operated accessory falls below a predetermined point.

2. In a motor vehicle accessory system, a suction operated accessory, a fluid pressure operated accessory, a pump having an intake port and an exhaust port, a conduit connecting the intake port with the suction operated accessory and a conduit connecting the exhaust port with the pressure operated accessory, a passage adapted to connect said first conduit with the atmosphere, a valve in said passage for efiecting closure thereof, and means acting between said second conduit and said valve for opening the latter when pressure in said second conduit falls below a predetermined minimum.

3. In a motor vehicle accessory system, a fluid pump having an intake and an exhaust port, unitary pressure control means having connection with both 01 said ports, suction and pressure passages therein having connection with said intake and exhaust ports respectively, the opposite ends of said passages being connectible respectively with sub-atmospheric and super-atmospheric pressure operable accessories, a passage extending between said suction passage and the atmosphere, and a pair of valves normally closing said passage, pressure responsive means associated with said suction passage for controlling one of said valves, and pressure responsive means associated with said pressure passage for controlling the other of said valves.

4. In a motor vehicle accessory system. a suction operated accessory, a fluid pressure operated accessory, and a pump therebetween'ior I transmitting fluid from the former to the latter,

said vent with the atmosphere. said valve menu pendently eflecting closure thereof, means acting between said first conduit and one of said valves for opening the latter when suction in the first conduit exceeds a predetermined degree, and means acting between the second conduit and the other of said valves for opening the latter when the pressure in said second conduit falls below a predetermined minimum.

6. In a motor vehicle accessory system, a suction operated accessory, a pressure operated accessory, and a pump therebetween and connected to the respective accessories, means responsive to an abnormally high suction as when the suction accessory is inoperative for admitting fluid to the suction side of said pump, and means responsive to the pressure output of the pump for regulating the admission of fluid by the first means in accordance with the requirement to maintain a normal pressure head for the pressure operated accessory, said first means acting to prevent fluid admission when the suction is not abnormally high as when the suction accessory is operative.

7. In a motor vehicle accessory system, a suction operated accessory, a fluid pressure operated accessory, and a pump therebetween for transmitting fluid from the former to the latter, a valved atmospheric vent interposed between said suction operated accessory and said pump, means maintaining said valved vent closed at all times excepting when prevailing suction exceeds the degree required for satisfactory operation of said suction operated accessory, and other means maintaining said valved vent closed-when pressure J at the pressure side of said pump exceeds a predetermined minimum.

8. For use in a motor vehicle accessory system having a suction operated accessory, a pressure operated accessory, and a pump for moving operating fluid from the former .to the latter; a unitary pressure control element having a pair 01' passages therein, one of said passages being connectible at its opposite ends to the suction operated accessory and the inlet side of the pump respectively, the other of said passages being connectible at its opposite ends to the pressure operated accessory and the outlet side of said pump respectively, said control element comprising means responsive to an abnormally high suction as when the suction accessory is inoperative tor admitting fluid to the suction side of said pump, and means responsive to the pressure output oi the pump for regulating the admission of fluid by the first means in accordance with the requirement to maintain a normal pressure head for the pressure operated accessory, said first means acting to prevent fluid admission when the suction is not abnormally high as when the suction accessory is operative.

IRWIN c. noarou. 

